Interactions Between Gonadal Steroids and Neurotransmitters

Abstract

The brain is a target for estrogens, as we know e. g. from the fact that the site of steroid feedback on the secretion of peripheral hormones is located in the hypothalamus (HT). For a long time, neuroendocrinologists have been investigating the mechanisms of central hormone actions. Although their work is not concerned with behavioral aspects, some of their findings may also be of value for psychiatry, as similar mechanisms may be involved in other hormone actions in the brain. Furthermore, under neuroendocrinological conditions they may be studied more easily as the input into, and the output out of the brain, are measurable parameters, i. e. the steroid levels in the blood or the hormone secretion of the pituitary.